May 2006

Awards and Honors Abound

GW Celebrates Distinguished Faculty, Students, Alumni and Staff

As part of its annual Commencement Weekend celebrations, the University will honor its distinguished, faculty, students, alumni and staff at several awards ceremonies. Below are just a few of GW’s outstanding community members who have contributed to the betterment of the University and society.

Oscar and Shoshana Trachtenberg Prizes
Initiated and endowed by GW President Stephen Joel Trachtenberg in honor of his parents, the annual Oscar and Shoshana Trachtenberg prizes recognize dedicated
faculty who have made a difference in their professions and at the University.

Prize for Teaching
Ines Azar, professor of Spanish, earned the 2006 Prize for Teaching. The annual award, established in 1990, recognizes Azar for her outstanding work in introducing students to Spanish literature. Her two-semester study of Miguel de Cervantes’ masterpiece, Don Quixote, provides literature students with a deeper understanding of what is widely regarded as one of the pillars of modern literature.

Prize for Scholarship
Martha Finnemore, professor of political science and international affairs, has earned the 2006 Prize for Scholarship, first presented in 1992, for her outstanding research accomplishments. She is well known for her research on global governance and international organizations. In 2005, Finnemore was noted by Foreign Policy magazine as among those in the field doing
the most interesting research.

Prize for University Service
Gary Simon, professor of medicine, received
the 2006 Prize for Service, which since 1993 has been presented to a tenured faculty member who provided exceptional service to the University. He is being recognized for his continued service to GW through participation in the Faculty Senate. Simon has served on several committees, including the Executive Committee, all while staying at the forefront of his academic field.

30th Annual GW Awards
Three members of the GW community will receive the “GW Award” at Commencement on the National Mall for their lasting contributions to the University. They include: Michael Akin, director, Office of District of Columbia and Foggy Bottom/West End Affairs; Donald R. Lehman, executive vice president for academic affairs and George Gamow Professor of Theoretical Physics, and the late Paul E. Spiegler, associate professorial lecturer, biological sciences.

Alumni Achievement Awards
Six GW alumni will receive the University’s Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award on Saturday, May 20, at a brunch being held at the Madison Hotel. This year’s recipients are:

Thad Allen, MPA ’86, named 23rd US Coast Guard Commandant, a position he will assume May 25;
Michael B. Enzi, BBA ’66, US senator from Wyoming;
Jordan M. Hadelman, MA ’78, chairman and chief executive officer of Witt/Kieffer, Ford, Hadelman & Lloyd, one of the nation’s top
10 executive search firms and the only one specializing in health care and education;
Barbara Joan Pariente, JD ’73, chief justice of the Florida Supreme Court;
Harold C. Pillsbury III, BA ’70, MD ’72, Thomas J. Dark Distinguished Professor of Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery and chair of the Department of Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine and
Frederick (Fritz) J. Scheuren, MA ’71,
PhD ’72, who served in 2005 as the 100th president of the American Statistical Association.

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